Dying to Live Again
by ThePushThatComesToShove
Summary: Klavier/Apollo.4-4 spoilers. It's been three months after That Trial, and Apollo's been following the same routine ever since. Trucy decides to mix it up a bit. Klavier starts acting funny while Apollo gets confused about their relationship. On hiatus.
1. I Don't Believe It

**Dying to Live Again**

Chapter One - I Don't Believe It

It had been three months since the trial of Vera Misham. Three months since the unveiling of Kristoph Gavin's true nature. Thre months since Klavier Gavin had broken down after the loss of the two closest people to him. Three months since Trucy and Apollo had been left to pick up the pieces.

Apollo had continued taking cases after That Trial, still trying to make a name for himself despite the loss of his old mentor. He had really thought that he was gone after the case with Phoenix, anyway. All though it was still surprising and fresh in his mind, he tried to suppress any thoughts, memories, and feelings regarding the older Gavin. At the moment, he still had papers to file, a sister to take a care of, a mother to concern himself with, and the one who was left with nothing: Klavier.

Trucy had told to him, after giving the man a week of alone time, to go over to his house and check on him. Apollo was uncertain about the whole thing at first, but after seeing him so distraught, so deep in misery, he took it in himself to try and help him, too. He owed him that much, anyway.

And so, the defense attorney had fallen into a routine for the period of three months: wake Trucy up for school, wake Mr Wright up for work, do some paperwork, have lunch with Klavier, check the phone for any clients, phone Thalassa if there weren't any, remind Trucy to do her homework, go out and buy grape juice for Mr Wright, and finally, go to sleep. It was a simple line of action that he did everyday.

But, on this day, three months after That Trial, the routine had changed.

"Polly!" Trucy called out from the front of the Agency. Apollo poked his head out from his new office, seeing a waving gloved hand from the doorway.

"Yes?" the brunet replied, not bothering to move until he found out exactly _why_ the girl was bothering him on a Saturday when she could be out doing... whatever it was teenagers do on their time off.

"Come here! I've got something to give you!"

The defense attorney hesitated for a moment before getting out of his desk chair to see what all the fuss was about. Absent-mindedly closing the door behind him, he walked through a hallway in their newly renovated "Anything Agency" to meet with his half-sister. He stopped at the entrance to the room, leaning against the wall as he watched Trucy hustle and bustle in the room.

"What is it, Truce?" Apollo asked, raising an eyebrow at the magician. She mumbled a "wait, wait" to him, continuing to rummage through a drawer in a file cabinet in the corner of the room. The defense attorney tapped his foot while idly examining the walls of Trucy's "magic practice" room, sighting a picture of her, Phoenix, and Thalassa sitting on a table littered with random magic paraphernalia.

Trucy's chipper voice grabbed his attention once again as she exclaimed, "Aha! Found 'em." With a flutter of her blue cape, the magician turned around to face the brunet standing in her doorway, waving a two pieces of papers in a gloved hand. Apollo eyed them with slight curiosity as his sister approached him.

"Polly, I've got a deal you can't refuse held in my very hands," she announced, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, clearly excited.

The other eyebrow joined the first, raising slightly with intrigue. "Really, now? And what's so great about this "deal" that I wouldn't refuse it?"

"Why, it's an opportunity to spend some time with your one and only, of course! That's why you shouldn't refuse this offer."

_Okay, so now it's _shouldn't_, not can't. That should be reassuring, but with Trucy, you never know. _"My one and only? Since when have I had a one and only?"

"Since you've been having lunch with Klavier, silly!" Over the months, the siblings had spent enough time with the prosecutor to be on a first name basis. _It's a lot shorter than Prosecutor Gavin, at least._

At that statement, Apollo was... surprisingly speechless. _Wait... she thinks Klavier and I are an item... because we've been having lunch?_ "I... He..."

"Yes, I know that you appreciate me going out of my way to get these tickets for you, but it was no problem, really!" Trucy continued on, telling the brunet about how exactly she had obtained said tickets. "See, as a magician, I get lots of fans from my gigs down at the Wonder Bar! And because my magic got to their hearts so well, one decided to give me these!"

Apollo wasn't listening. All he could manage to do was mumble, "Wha... I... He... We never..." Over and over again as he tried to process the thought of him and Gavin in even the slightest of romantic circumstances.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't _that_ hard, but it surprised him to know that it was _Trucy_ who had thought of it first. Well, between the two of them, at least. _Oh my go... What does Thalassa think?! And Mr Wright?! Oh man, and if I take these tickets, it'll be even _worse..._ Wait a second..._ "Uh, Truce? What are the tickets for, again?"

"Hmm?" Trucy snapped out of her rant and blinked, taking in the questionbefore springing back to life, "Ah yes! These tickets are for one of Mommy's shows!"

Apollo's mouth opened to say something, but he closed it and instead, he held his hand out expectantly. _You know, I could have gotten these tickets from her, too. _

The magician smiled, placing the slips of paper into the brunet'shand. "See, I told you you wouldn't refuse my deal."

Apollo gave her an iffed look, but bit back his sarcastic reply. "Right. I'm gonna head out for lunch, then." He turned around, but before he took a step forward, the brunet added, "Oh, and say hi to Pearl for me, okay?"

Behind him, Trucy spluttered indignantly, her face taking on a lovely shade of red. Apollo chuckled to himself as he walked out the door of the Agency.

* * *

Apollo leaned against the fence of Klavier's front porch, eying the door that he had just knocked on. It usually didn't take the prosecutor this long to answer... _He's probably fixing his hair or something, the diva that he is._ A small smile graced the defense attorney's lips at the thought. _Knowing him, he just might be checking his clothes, too, even if it's just me he's going ot with._

The sound of the door opening snapped Apllo out of his thoughts. His blond friend stood inside the open doorway, a hand in his pocket and the other resting on the brass doorknob. He blinked blue eyes at the defense attorney before offering him a bright smile. "Hello, Forehead. What are you doing here?"

"Lunch?" Apollo stared at Klavier as if he had grown a second head. They always had lunch together. _You think you'd remember that after doing it for three months._

The prosecutor gave him a similar look. "I thought we were done with that."

"And what made you think that?" the brunet asked, his eyebrows raising.

Klavier looked to the side and ran a hand through his bangs. "Well, I thought that you were having lunch with me to help cheer me up since Kristoph was proven guilty for murder." Apollo shuddered slightly at how calmly he had said that. "And now that I am all, as you say, "chipper", I think that the need to have lunch together is... no more."

"I..." The brunet gulped. He was right. "...But if that were true, we would have stopped weeks ago, right?"

Klavier's demeanor faltered, but closed his eyes as he played with his bangs some more. "But you get my point, ja?"

Apollo looked at his face, trying to read his expression. It was that face he made when he was trying to convince someone to do something, or to get a groupie to swoon and leave him alone. He also felt his bracelet tighten, but he knew what the taller man was doing even without the perceive system. The blond was shifting strands of hair between his fingers: his nervous habit.

Biting his lip, Apollo lowered his gaze. _There's something bothering him... But with that face, I know that it's not a good time to question it. _"Well then. I was hoping to give you this after lunch, but since it's _not necessary, _I guess that I should just give it to you now."

The defense attorney donned a ticket from his back pocket. When he looked back up, though, Klavier had retreated back into his doorway, though the door was left open. Apollo's mouth was open, ready to tell him just what the ticket was for, but stopped himself when he realized that he was gone.

"I... Klavier?" The brunet looked past the door and saw the man standing beside a coat rack, back pressed up against the wall behind him. Apollo raised an eyebrow at him, but restrained himself from going inside. After all, he had only been there once, and that was just to find him broken down after certain events. The defense attorney refrained from stepping in after that.

"Klavier," Apollo said again, his voice firmer this time around. "Okay, what's up? First you drop our lunch cold turkey, and now you're busying yourself with your _coat rack_. Is there something you're not telling me?"

Sharp brown eyes caught a quiet gulp, sighting the bob of the blond's adam's apple. He raised his eyes to meet blue ones, giving Klavier an intense look. "Well?"

"I..." Klavier's eyes were darting around quickly, now, looking at anything but Apollo. "It's nothing." He shifted against the wall, moving his weight from his arms back to his feet. "Just... Wh-What are you planning on giving me?"

"Hmm?" Apollo glanced back at the ticket in his hand. "Oh, it's just a ticket to a show. A Lamiroir concert. Trucy figured we would like it, so she gave me these tickets so we could see it together."

"T-Together?" Klavier asked, his voice no louder than a whisper. Apollo almost missed it.

"Yeah. I mean, you've always wanted me to get more into music, seeing as it was "your thing", so I guess that this would be it, huh?" It was Apollo's turn to offer Klavier a smile; for once, he was the one who was giving reassurance to the other.

"And it's nothing more than just seeing a concert, as f-friends, right?" Klavier was now off the wall and back at the doorway.

"Uh, yeah. Unless we're going as enemies." Apollo grinned at him. "If that's the case, remind me to bring some of Mr Wright's cooking. That stuff's lethal."

The blond did not return his smile. Blue eyes were trained on the ground, looking distracted, distant. "Heh... Alright then." He held out a tanned hand and the defense attorney dropped the paper into the open palm. "I'll see you on..." He paused to read the ticket. "...Friday. Stay well until then, ja?"

And with that, the prosecutor gently closed the door, leaving Apollo to mumble a quiet, "Bye." to the wooden entrance.

A/N: So yeah, turns out I'm using song names for the chapter titles. In fact, the title of the actually story is a song. Both of them are by Hedley and are not mine. They're good songs, though. Go listen to 'em.


	2. Dear Trucy, Count Me In

**Dying to Live Again**

Chapter Two - Dear Trucy, Count Me In 

Apollo sighed as he leaned against the closed door on the inside of the Agency. He ran a hand over his hair, flattening the two gravity-defying locks of brown hair for a moment as his hand made its way over them. The defense attorney was very utterly confused.

Apollo was always one for routine and not such a huge fan of change. When he had to switch law offices, he had been a nervous wreck, bustling about here and there to try and get used to seeing his sister everyday, not that he had known then, and not seeing his ex-mentor, Kristoph. He found it all to be very disorienting.

And when he was denied his usual hour and a half of lunch with his friend he was... well, feeling rather unoccupied, to say the least.

The brunet heaved another sigh, trudging from the door to Trucy's magic room. He leaned against the doorframe as he considered asking Trucy for advice.

The magician bounded to him when she sighted him, all smiley and bouncy. As she stood in front of, she eyes him carefully, examining his expression. "Lunch cancelled for today?"

Apollo took his gaze off the floor to meet his sister's eyes. "Yeah. Don't know why, though."

"Hmm." Trucy tapped her bottom lip in thought. Her eyes lit up again after a moment as she grabbed Apollo's wrist, leading him back outside. "Come on, let's get some noodles and we'll talk, okay?"

The defense attorney could only nod mutely as he was dragged out the door.

* * *

Trucy slurped down her noodles happily as Apollo ate is with less vigor. They both paused to swallow, the former eying the slight form of the Eldoon's Noodles mascot as she wiped her face with a napkin.

Leaning back from the counter in front of them, Apollo gave Trucy a sideways glance as he folded his hands in front of him. "Well?"

The magician smiled, her gaze still focused on her bowl. "Well, from what I've heard so far... I think we've got a case of denial."

"What! I'm not denial!" The defense attorney exclaimed in response. His sister giggled beside him.

"You're not the one that's in denial, silly," Trucy said, turning and poking his nose, "You're not even close to being in denial. You're not even close to anything yet! No, no, no, it's _Klavier_ who's in denial."

Apollo frowned at the "yet" in her sentence, but otherwise dismissed it. "Really? How do you know?"

The teen smiled in a reminiscent sort of way, her eyes lowering again. "Because I've dealt with it before, face to face." Her gaze snapped right back up though, that happy shine back in the blue orbs. "But yeah, I know how to fix your problem."

"How?" The brunet was eager to know; after all, solving this gives him back his precious routine.

Trucy gave him a sly smile. "Why, you have to confront him with what he's denying!"

"And that would be...?" Apollo asked, gesturing with his hands for her to elaborate on her advice.

"I--" Trucy stopped herself as she spoke, much to her brother's frustration. "You're going to have to find that out yourself, Polly. Think about it - why do you think he wanted to stop having lunch with you? Whatever he'd said was an excuse, believe me."

The defense attorney was once again brought to speechlessness by the magician. He wasn't too sure of what to base his thoughts on; he had no idea what Trucy was referring to. "I... Uhm... Well, it, uh, has something to do with denial, so... Maybe he's denying... food?"

A gloved hand smacked its owner in the forehead. "Oh Polly, you're hopeless. You're lucky I even gave you those tickets in the first place. Maybe _that_ will help, because I don't want to be pointing out every single detail out to you. I know you're smarter than that."

_What does this have anything to do with smarts?! This is something that a _teenage girl_ has thought of, what should I..._ Apollo's train of thought stopped in its tracks as realization dawned on him. _She must be referring to that "one and only" thing she'd said earlier... But Klavier and I... we're not... _I'm_ not... Like... that..._ _Like what? I'm not... In... In..._

Trucy leaned against the counter in front of them, placing her head in her hand. She examined his facial expression and said, "So I'm guessing that you've figured it out."

"But I'm not _like_ that, Truce!" The brunet blurted out in reply. "I mean-- You can't be saying that I'm... I'm in... that I like him like that, r-right?"

His sister nodded her head at him, causing him to splutter even more babble. She giggled, covering her mouth with a hand. The magician figured that the following events would be interesting... It was also a good thing that she was a backup performer in that concert, else she'd miss all the action!

Apollo just returned to his lukewarm noodles, staring at the grain products before they entered his mouth. He chewed, mulling the thought over in his head. _Me, in..._ He gulped down a mouthful of food. _I-In love with Klavier...? It's an odd thought, but now that I think about it..._ He blushed faintly, a light pink powdering his cheeks. _I mean, considering all this time I've spent with him... I... I'm already starting to miss lunch with the diva._

It was true. Even though he couldn't really imagine Klavier eating _noodles_ with him, he could just picture him beside him, making a comment on his food, his hair, his forehead, anything that caught his attention, really. The brunet could even imagine the retort he'd give.

_"Forehead? Eating noodles, are we? Now I see why you like to have lunch with me so often."_

_"I _like_ noodles, thank you very much. It just happens to be a coincidence that they're cheap..."_

_"So you say. All though I suppose I wouldn't mind having some."_

_"Yeah, yeah, help yourself, you gli- glamorous fop."_

Apollo sighed. Even though he liked Trucy's company, it wasn't anything like his friend's. His confident air, his smug smile, that blond hair pulled down in such an odd style... He was just so, so, so...

"You gonna finish that?" His sister asked, pointing at his half-eaten bowl with a pair of chopsticks. The defense attorney just pushed it towards her, giving her permission to polish off the bowl.

The brunet folded his arms in front of him, placing his chin on top his left forearm. He stared at his bracelet as he returned to his thoughts. _I guess that I don't really know how to finish that sentence. But I'm not really... I mean, I'm just too used to it. Of course I'd miss doing something I've done everyday, nothing out of the ordinary..._

Beside him, Trucy stacked the two bowls and left the money on the counter. "I don't know what _you're_ thinking, Polly, but I have to get going. I just remembered that I have to meet up with a partner for a science project..."

Apollo glanced at her as he stood up. "You said that when I had to drag Klavier out of his house that one time, Truce."

"Well, it's good to see that you have a good memory." A look from the brunet made he grin. "Okay fine, so maybe _that_ time it was an excuse, but I seriously have to go."

"Yeah, yeah, I wouldn't keep you from your studies." _After all, I have some things to concern myself with, too._

"But I guess we could at least walk back to the agency, right?" Trucy asked, bouncing on her heels again. She gave him another sweet smile as she held her hands behind her back. "I mean, it's not like Auntie Maya minds me being late, anyway."

Apollo's eyebrows shot up. "You just gave it away, Trucy."

The girl's eyes widened for a moment, but she continued smiling as she made her way down the sidewalk. "So I did. And so did Klavier, when he refused to have lunch with you."

The defense attorney's mouth opened, and he stood there as his sister skipped merrily down the street. _Truce... You say you don't want to point out every detail, but I think you just did._

Apollo sighed, shoving a hand into his pockets. _But I think... I think that I'm gonna need more evidence..._

A/N: Oh wow, seems that I have a reader. I think this chapter should explain Klavier's behavior in the one before... So yeah, reviews _are_ awesome and very much welcome, and so is constructive criticism. This chapter's title is a change from All Time Low's "Dear Maria, Count Me In". That song does not belong to me. So yeah, thanks for reading 8D


	3. Wake Up Call

**Dying to Live Again**

Chapter Three - Wake Up Call

Apollo bid Trucy goodbye as she bounced down the steps of the Anything Agency to find her way to Kurain. He watched her blue cape flutter for a few moments before closing the door, heaving yet another heavy sigh.

_I guess now's the time I should go check in with Thalassa..._

The brunet walked over to his office, plopping himself into his desk chair. Wheeling around to face his desk, his hand sought out his phone and picked it up. He dialed in his mother's cell number, the one for family and friends, and waited, playing with the curly cord attached to the machine. He got a response after two rings.

_"Hello?"_

"Hey Thalassa," Apollo replied, smiling at the sound of her voice, "It's Apollo. What's up?"

_"Oh, nothing much, sweetie. I'm glad you called."_ Apollo could almost hear the smile through the phone. _"How are you today?"_

The defense attorney shifted in his seat, moving to cup his head in his unoccupied hand. "I'm good, though something weird happened."

_"Oh? What happened?"_

"Well, Klavier didn't want to have lunch with me today."

_"That _is_ rather odd. Do you know why?"_

"He said that it was "unnecessary". Funny thing, though, is that Trucy said that he did it because he was in denial."

Apollo waited for a reply, but for a moment, all he heard was the slight buzz of the phone. "Thalassa?"

_"Well, my take is that Klavier is trying to avoid you..."_ His mother paused to giggle. _"Reminds me of Valant. I remember that he tried to avoid practising with me once because it made him nervous, and so he kept messing up the act."_

"Avoid me?" Apollo thought aloud, his fingers shifting on the receiver. _And the situation reminds her of her own happenings with Valant...? She said she made him nervous, so I'm guessing that's she's hinting that I might be making Klavier nervous..._ "And you think it's because I make him _nervous_?"

_"Basically, yes. It should be very obvious, though, considering our ability."_

_But this was a one-time only thing... He's usually only nervous when I mess around with his guitars, and that's definitely a different kind of nervous._ "But why would I make him nervous?"

_"Apollo, sweetie, there comes a time when a person falls in love with someone else, and how they react depends on that person. Now, I know that you two have spent a lot of time with each other, so--"_

"Wait, wait, wait, let me get this straight, Thalassa," the defense attorney cut in, his brow furrowing, "Are you saying that Klavier is in love with me?"

_"Well, this is coming from my own experiences with the emotion, so--"_

"Answer the question, Thalassa." Apollo's voice was firm and demanding; the pause on the other end almost made him regret using the tone.

_"I... Yes. But that's just my opinion. I know that you two have been close for a long time, and sometimes when one realizes this kind of thing... drastic things happen. Love is a very strong thing, sweetie. It can make or break a person."_

"So_ you _think that _Klavier Gavin_, prosecutor, ex-Gavinner, a _man_, is _in love with me_." The words sounded foreign coming out of his mouth. _My own _mother_ thinks that he's... In love with me. ...I suppose that that _is_ a possible reason as to why Klavier would do that, but it's just... Why _love_, of all things? Maybe he just..._

Okay, so maybe he didn't exactly know _how_ to finish that thought. Maybe he didn't really _want_ to finish it. Maybe he didn't really want to know how exactly he was feeling, but... It was all making him uneasy.

_"Yes, that is one way to put it."_ She paused. Apollo suspected that she was carefully considering her next words. _"But, sweetie, why the emphasis on the fact that Klavier is a male? It's not like that makes this situation any different, dear."_

The brunet's mouth opened as he almost blurt out a response that would probably make his mother see less in him. _It totally makes this situation different! I-I mean... K-Klavier likes _women_, frauleins, _whatever_, not, not..._ "I-I suppose it doesn't, but..."

_"You're acting like _you're_ the one who is in denial, Apollo." _The defense attorney winced at the seriousness in her tone. _"Sweetie, I just want you to-- Ah, hello Valant."_ The phone sent him slight buzzes from the other line as Thalassa placed a hand over the receiver. He managed to make out the muffled sound of Valant's voice and a sigh from his mother. _"I'm so sorry, dear, but I have to go. The manager of my concert on Friday wants to settle a few things with me. But I have something to tell you."_

Apollo murmured a quiet "mhmm" to the other, not exactly trusting himself to speak.

_"Apollo. Don't overthink this. I don't want you to make a mess of yourself, okay? Right now it may seem very confusing, and situations like these call for that kind of thing, but it's going to be okay. You're going to get your friend back, your routine will be restored, and you'll figure everything out. It may not be today, or tomorrow, or maybe not even anytime soon, but you'll do it. I know you will."_

It was nice to hear the reassuring words from his mother, soothing even, but he just... he couldn't let it go. "...Thanks, Mom. It was nice talking to you, as always."

_"It was nothing. But I want you to listen to me, okay? Good luck, sweetie. I love you."_

"I love you, too. Bye." His response was almost automatic before he set the phone down, his mind overflooded restless thoughts.

_So, Thalassa thinks Klavier is in love with me. Trucy thinks he's in denial, and I... I think I'm going insane._

Apollo groaned, tugging at his hair in frustration.

_What the hell am_ I_ supposed to think?! What _do_ I think? Do I agree with them? Well, brain? Do you? _Do you?!..._Oh god, now I'm talking to myself in my head. Maybe I am going insane._

The defense attorney took in a deep breath, pressing a hand to his forehead.

_Let's go over this again. Today, Klavier refused to go to lunch today because he didn't find it necessary to do so anymore. He said that I'd already "cheered him up" so further lunches were useless. Extremely odd words coming from him, considering that he'd always referred to me as his friend, even said that he enjoyed my company..._ He pressed a finger to his forehead as he thought it over as he would do a case. _He was extremely nervous when I said I'd wanted to "give him something"... _Apollo paused his thinking.

_Oh god, he's as green minded as ever. Maybe Trucy _was_ right about the denial..._ The brunet groaned again as he realized something _obvious_ moments later. _Ugh, but what does that mean?! Does that mean that... That Thalassa was right? Does that mean that Klavier... Is... In l-love with me? But... He doesn't _go_ for people like me. He likes pretty, petite, _women_ that fawn over him and his music and his hair and his pretty-boy looks and his motorcycle and, and, and..._

Lunch was one thing on his side. The companionship was another thing. The help with a delicate situation was yet another thing. Teasing, shoulder brushes, nights spent watching Trucy perform at the Wonder Bar, days spent looking over evidence, quiet, tense moments when Klavier would just break down and Apollo was his shoulder to cry on...

_Okay, so maybe it _does_ add up. Maybe they were right, but I just... I can't settle this without talking to him myself._

Apollo sent a glance to his phone, staring at the white machine for a moment before dismissing the idea. _Nah, calling him wouldn't settle this properly... But I suppose I'll call the prosecutor's office to see if he's in before dropping by._

With one glance around his office to make sure everything was in check, he left the Agency, determined but confused as hell.

A/N: This chapter's title is Maroon 5's "Wake Up Call". And, uh, just a note, none of the songs really _relate_ to the actual fic. So yeah, don't go looking for connections. Expect a change in perspective next chapter. Thanks for reading, as always!


	4. Not Falling Apart

**

* * *

******

Dying to Live Again

Chapter Four - Not Falling Apart

Klavier stared at the slip of paper in his hand, though his mind wasn't anywhere near music, or anything of the sort. Right now he was sifting through the concerning emotions and thoughts clouding his mind.

The blond pressed a hand to his chest, tilting his head back to hit the wall behind him. _Great. Just perfect. Now I've confused Forehead, too._ He frowned disapprovingly. _...I... But how did this happen _again_? Over thinking a passing thought? I thought you were better than that, Gavin. _Blue eyes slipped closed as Klavier let his hand drop to the floor, resting next to his foot. _But I guess that it's more than just a passing thought now, isn't it. Verdammt. Another close friend, gone, and all because I let myself go, just for a moment, to think about him like that..._

Looking back at it now, it _was_ just a coming and passing thought that had occurred to him when they had been walking to their last lunch date. Well, it was supposed to be. A small observation that really shouldn't have happened.

They were just walking along the sidewalk, on their way to a pizza place (Klavier was in the mood and he felt like going for a walk; he always picked the place, anyway) when a woman hurried past them, knocking Apollo over in her wake. Klavier had reached out to catch him, being the nice person that he was, when he noticed how well the younger man fit in his arms, against his body. It was only for a moment, but after they had exchanged a "sorry" and "no problem", they were back to chatting like always.

Only it wasn't like _always_.

They were sitting in the booth, waiting for their food to come, when Apollo had asked, "Klavier... Something up? You're not making any comments on my forehead or my food or anything."

For a moment, Klavier was a bit panicked. He had been a bit preoccupied noticing every other little thing that Apollo did. The way he hesitated before relaxing against the seat behind him, the way he always had that curious expression when he examined the new lunch place, the way he always seemed to look him in the eye when talking to him, making it seem as if he had all of his attention...

But, being the quick thinker that he was, Klavier had replied, "It's nothing. You are not the center of my world, you know."

"Wh... Y-Yeah, I know, but..." Apollo paused as he fought for words. "I just... Find it odd, is all."

_I don't blame you._"I hate to be using a phrase that you so often use, but, I'm fine, Forehead." Klavier offered him a smile. "Let's just enjoy our meal, ja?"

The brunet frowned, but he seemed to have let it go. "Alright. After all, you always _do _pay for me, so I guess it's a fair trade."

Klavier nodded before making a comment on the fact that Apollo always wore his suit when he went out with him. He got a normal "Apollo" response: a slight indignant splutter and an explanation about his routine.

It continued like that: Klavier would comment, Apollo would reply, they would talk, casual and friendly, as usual. All while the prosecutor's thoughts drifted elsewhere...

_Hmm, that red really suits him, doesn't it? But I wonder what he would look like in black... And jeans... Wait, what? I did not just think that. ...Did I? I mean, it would certainly be different seeing him in something else besides that vest he always wears to court..._

_He has really brown eyes. He always seems to be looking at me, just me, with them, too... All though, sometimes he plays with his bracelet when he does. Hmm, I wonder where he got that. ...Past girlfriend, maybe? Heh, forehead does seem like the type to have matching trinkets like bracelets with a significant other. ...No wonder he reacted oddly when I'd given him that little necklace left over from the old days..._

_Not much of an eater, Forehead. Maybe that's why he's somewhat... small. Heh, compact size for easy portability... Wonder if he's flexible, too..._

_I wonder how he fixes his eyebrows like that... Scratch that, I wonder _why_ he does it. All though, it does look very... different. Unique. ...Intriguing._

And with another lunch and another hour and a half done and over with, they parted, leaving a thought-ridden Klavier alone in his home.

He sat in a chair, a couch, a surface, Klavier didn't care to see what it was, his head hanging as he thought to himself. The feelings he felt, the emotions rising were all too... _familiar_. It wasn't comfortable, it wasn't good, and, and, and... Remembering was too painful. Now that he was gone, sitting in prison, his hair sure to be dying without gel...

_Heh, now he has no choice but to wear it the way I liked it,_ the blond thought bitterly, a small smirk touching his lips. _No matter now, though. It's probably weeks until his execution, anyway. Murder... doesn't pass lightly._

And it didn't. With all that the prosecutor had been through, it pained him greatly to see the two people closest to him come to such lows. He was a firm believer in justice, and to see his brother and his... fellow band member, his best friend, his lover...

Thinking about it now, Apollo fit that description pretty well, too. His partner to find the truth, his best friend, his... his...

_It's... I can't. Not again. He... I'm just gonna lose him. Don't wanna lose again. It doesn't fit, isn't right, isn't... perfect. _Klavier ran a hand through his hair. _I'll... I'll just leave him alone for a while. Yes, that sounds good, it'll work, has to work..._

It was then decided, he would leave Apollo alone, keep their distance for a while, stop having lunch, just... _Don't fall in love with him, it doesn't fit, it's not right, not perfect..._

Now, though, the idea didn't sound as convincing as it did before.

_Perfect? Ha! It was no where near perfect... And now..._

And now what?

On one hand, he was scared to lose his friend. On the other hand, to keep himself from losing said friend, he'd messed up, made a mistake, and now... He wasn't sure what he had now. _I should know, I need to know, can't be in the dark, need to know everything, every detail, or else... _

He needed to know how Apollo felt. It didn't matter now; he'd done enough damage. It's either he got what he wanted or... he lost him. That was that.

The blond willed himself to get off the floor, pushing his weight off the wall with tanned hands. Settling on his feet, he stood there, shaking slightly and scared as hell. _I don't care, doesn't matter, need to know, need to know..._

Taking in a deep breath, he took the few steps to get to his door and...

* * *

Apollo stood at Klavier Gavin's door for the second time that day, literally shaking in his shoes. He fidgeted with the hem of his vest, fingers running along the edge as he struggled to gather the courage to...

_To what? To ask him an inappropriate question? To question his sexuality? ...To question mine? _

_To knock on the door_?

The brunet pried his fingers away from his vest, raising a shaking hand to the wooden door in front of him. Brown eyes were trained on the motion as his hand slowly made its way to the door. _Why are you so nevous, Justice? It's just a question... A bit personal, yes, but I thought that we were done with keeping things from each other, considering I'm his confidant... Just take a deep breath and... open... the... door.._.

Inhaling sharply, Apollo reached for the doorknob and...

* * *

"Forehead," Klavier breathed, his hand still on the turned doorknob. _I... What's he doing here? I can't... I'm not ready... He..._

"Klavier." The blond managed to look him in the eye, but only for a moment. He averted his gaze as he heard Apollo continue, "I... Can I come in?"

_I'm not ready, not ready... _"Sure."

The prosecutor moved out of the doorway, making room for the younger man to come in. He offered him a slight smile and a nod before closing the door behind him. Klavier leaned against the door for a moment, staring at the black of Apollo's vest. _Shit, what do I say? How... How does one just _ask_ these kinds of things?_

"Klavier..." Apollo said again, murmuring the word almost thoughtfully. "I... I... You could say... I mean, _I _could say... What I mean is..."

The blond watched his best friend shake his head, turning around to direct brown eyes into blue ones.

"Look. Earlier was..." The prosecutor could see the struggle in Apollo's eyes as he tried to find words to end his sentence.

"Weird." Klavier finished, his hand relaxing on the doorknob. "About that, Forehead..."

"Yes?" The shorter man seemed too eager, too curious to know what Klavier had to say. The shift of expression in his eyes almost startled the blond, and he... couldn't stop staring. As their gazes locked, Klavier's hand slipped away from the door as he took a step closer. Apollo followed him, shifting just that much closer, their eyes focused on the other as they tried to read, examine, _see _the other's thoughts, feelings, emotions...

"I..." It was Klavier's turn to trail off his sentence. His demeanor faltered, weaker than ever, and he could feel Apollo reach out, as if to catch him when he fell. He finally looked away. "Apollo..."

It was one of the few times that the prosecutor had actually called the defense attorney by his name, and it gave the brunet confidence. His arm, suspended in the air, reached out to gently turn the prosecutor's chin so that their eyes met again. Slowly, reluctantly, the blue eyes moved to look at him again; shy, cornered eyes that almost seemed out of place on the usually-confident face.

Klavier could now feel the heat radiating from his friend's body. He was surprised by the proximity and how... _natural_ it felt. He had to stop himself from pressing their bodies together.

Their eyes searched, looking for the same thing from different perspectives. Apollo was trying to find an answer to his never-ending questions, despite not knowing exactly _what_he was so unsure about; gazing into these eyes seemed to quell him, though, sending a... a warmth through his body. Klavier, on the other hand, was also trying to confirm something; a fear, an insecurity.

For a moment, they both found what they wanted.

Suddenly, Apollo remembered where his hand was, and he flinched and reeled it back. "I-I'm sorry, I..."

A tanned hand wrapped long fingers around the younger man's wrist, keeping it from returning to the other's body. Klavier slowly, gently rubbed his wrist before pressing the hand to his face again. "It's okay, Forehead, I don't mind..."

The blond felt Apollo's arm tense and he felt a cold, empty feeling; as if he'd lost yet again. Heaving a sigh, his grip loosened and he could feel the soft feeling of Apollo's skin sliding downwards against his cheek. Closing blue eyes, he expected to feel the weight of the other's hand lift away from his skin and replaced by the caress of the cool air, but, much to his surprise, the defense attorney's hand stayed pressed to his face.

"...A-Apollo?" He used his first name again as he shifted his gaze back to the brown eyes below. The blond examined the brunet's face; an uncertain, flushed expression was painted clearly across his face, but he continued to run his fingers along the prosecutor's skin. They dipped down to slide across his jawline, his neck, his collarbone, his shoulder, along his arm to land... in his hand. Apollo slipped his hand to Klavier's, slowly intertwining their fingers.

"Klavier, I..." Apollo bit his lip, looking away for a moment. When he returned his eyes to meet Klavier's, his eyes were sad, lonely; desperate, even. "Don't ever do that... don't ever _leave_ me... again. P-Please..."

Klavier let out a shaky laugh. "Wouldn't want to... ruin your precious schedule, Forehead."

The grip on his hand tightened, surprising the prosecutor slightly. "Klavier. Y-You know what I m-mean..."

Blue eyes widened, but softened as he took in the sight in front of him. Apollo Justice, a usually determined, steadfast man, now shaking, uncertain... _Vulnerable_. Gathering some courage, _it's okay, you're not going to lose him now, _Klavier wrapped his arms around the brunet, feeling him shuddering, shivering. "I won't, Forehead."

The man in his grasp sent him a feeble look. "P-Promise?"

"Promise," Klavier replied, pressing his face against his hair. "I promise, Apollo."

And in that moment, standing in the front hall of Klavier's home, they were finally content, finding solace in the other's presence.

* * *

A/N: Omg, I'm sorry if this chapter was bad, I was just kinda... stuck. I dunno, maybe Apollo gave in a bit too easily, or, or _something _but I dunno, I'm really uncertain about this chapter, but at the same time, I'm pretty happy about it. Took me long enough to write it, anyway. So yeah, opinions appreciated! Ehehe, yeah, thanks for reading, again. Oh, and the chapter title is Maroon 5's "Not falling Apart." Not mine, guys.


	5. Anything Goes

******Dying to Live Again**

Chapter Five - Anything Goes

It was a relief to have his routine back.

That was one of the first thoughts that passed Apollo Justice's mind. A few other popular ideas were, "Took you long enough to figure it out, Justice (or maybe that was just Trucy talking to him)" and "I can't believe that just happened". It had indeed taken him some time to figure out just what exactly the defense attorney wanted, but after his session with Klavier, he was happy that it worked out so well.

Well, as good as _that_ gets. At least _that_ part was over and done with. But what to do now...?

_What _do_ I do now..._ Apollo thought to himself the next day, sitting at his desk while doing paperwork. He shuffled another paper into a folder before sliding a paperclip over the top. _It's definitely gonna be different with him now that... we..._ The brunet blushed faintly, his hand stilled over another pile of paperwork. _Well, now that some _things_ are out in the open now..._ Lowering his hand onto the surface below him, the defense attorney laid his head onto his arm. _Ah, what's the use. You were as desperate as a beggar yesterday and you know it, Justice. I'm just glad I didn't end up humiliating myself. But then again, Klavier was never the type to kick you when you're down. He might have been the one doing the actual kicking, but at least he offers a hand afterwards... _

Okay, so maybe it hadn't really turned out how he wanted it to, but he wasn't even sure of what he wanted anyway. Their "soul-searching" experience the day before was a tad... Weird, filled with uncertainty and hesitation. Crossing the line between being friends and being... _more_ than friends took some time. _So how am I gonna face him today...? Am I just gonna walk up to him, say, "Hey Klavier, let's have lunch!" and expect it not to be awkward? ...In a perfect world it might work that way, but we don't live in a perfect world, now do we._

Leaning back in his chair, he glanced at the clock on the wall nearby. It read _11:37._ He still had some time before getting on his bike... About thirteen minutes. The brunet stacked two folders and placed them on the corner of his desk before moving down through the hall of the Anything Agency. Poking his head through the doorway, he spotted his sister chatting away with her girlfriend, Pearl. _Oh yeah, they still have that... "science project" to work on. Forgot that she was here._

Apollo was just about to turn around when he heard Trucy say, "Hey Polly! We were just talking about you. Come on, have a seat next to Pearly."

The defense attorney hesitated, pausing in his tracks before placing himself in the space on their couch next to the aforementioned spirit medium. The teen offered him a warm smile, and he gave her a meek one in return. _Meeting the sibling's, uhh, "significant other" definitely isn't awkward at all, nope. _Apollo ran a hand over his hair. _I see that homosexuality runs through the family... What a wonderful conversation topic._

"Okay, Truce," he started, his hands gripping his knees, "What's up?"

"Loosen up Polly, I'm not gonna perform any tricks on you," the magician replied, an amused smile touching her lips. "I just... With recent events, I kinda figured that you might... Oh, I dunno, just thought you might be questioning your sexuality, or something. Just a thought, you know?"

Apollo frowned, his head drooping as he thought, _Well, _that's_ a conversation starter._"Erm, a-and what about it?"

The two girls exchanged looks.

"Well, we just thought that you should know that it's okay," Pearl said, putting a hand on tense shoulders. Despite their newly found acquaintanceship, the gesture was comforting, soothing, and not at all out of place.

_I can see why Truce likes her so much... Just being around her makes me feel better. She has a... soft, gentle kind of air around her, _Apollo thought to himself, giving the spirit medium a quick once over. Pink robes and a shining necklace with a strange... pendant that looked oddly familiar. It was a humble yet beautiful combination. _She's also quite the contrast to her personality. Nice fit._

"It's perfectly normal to love someone of the same gender. Love is such a wonderful thing, and people shouldn't give up on it just because it's between the same gender," she continued, sending a sideways glance to her partner. The magician nodded eagerly in reply. "And I know that this must not be as convincing, seeing as it's coming from a pair of... um, Trucy? What was the word again?"

"Lesbians, Pearly. The word is "lesbians"," Trucy said, smiling fondly at the spirit medium's trouble with words. It seemed as if it happened often.

"Right, les-bee-uhns." Pearl had a thoughtful look on her face as she processed the new word. "But, yeah, it's actually better this way. We have experience, so we know what it's like to go through the many stages of... um..."

"_Denial_, Pearly."

"Right, dee-nye-uhl. Take it from me, Mr Justice, it'll be worth it in the end to go through with what your heart tells you," she ended with yet another smile.

"So just... If you're feeling uncertain, or dreary, or whatever, come to us and we'll give you a quick pick me up, 'kay?" Trucy said, smiling brightly at her brother. "We support you, one hundred percent!"

"I would never doubt your support, Truce," Apollo deadpanned. He quickly changed his expression to a smile when he saw Pearl's reaction to his sarcasm: the raising of a hand. "But, uhh, thanks. I appreciate it."

"All right then, Polly! You have a lunch date today, so move your behind right on out of here!" Trucy exclaimed, gesturing with her gloved hands for him to get up and out. "And when you're back, be sure to give us _all_ the details!"

"S-Sure, Truce. See you in a while," the brunet called behind him as he made his way down the hall. "Don't break anything while I'm gone!"

* * *

When Apollo arrived at Klavier's front door, he was fidgeting with the hem on his vest nervously. _Geez, isn't this an episode of deja vu. Yet again, I have no idea what to expect from the diva, or from myself for that matter, but I'm still going ahead and doing it. Since when have you become Mr Wright, Justice?_

The brunet sighed, raising his hand to knock on the wooden door. _Well, at least I know that this can't get any worse. ...Right?_

The sound of the door opening caused the defense attorney to jump slightly, earning a chuckle from the taller man. "Forehead, don't be so nervous. You'll ruin that vest of yours."

Apollo quickly moved his hands behind his back, a faint embarrassed blush forming on his cheeks. "My vest is fine, thanks very much." He coughed slightly into his hand before saying, "So, what's the place today, Klavier?"

An uncertain look passed the prosecutor's face for a moment. "Well, I was thinking that maybe we could... have lunch here...? I... I think better when there are less... voices in my head."

Apollo was a bit surprised. _Have lunch here? That's a first._ But the brunet wouldn't deny him, "S-Sure. Just as long as there's actual _food_ for me to eat in there."

"Do not worry, mein Forehead. I assure you, there is food to be eaten," Klavier replied, already walking down the hall. After a beat, Apollo hurried in, closing the door behind him.

The prosecutor's house was huge. The younger man's shoes clicked softly against the hardwood floors as he examined walls covered in posters and pictures. There were framed pictures of Klavier and his band mates, his brother, his parents, some with just him and Daryan alone.

When the defense attorney passed a picture of Klavier and Daryan standing back to back playing their guitars, he noticed something poking out of the side. Blinking his eyes in curiousity, he stopped and pulled it out from behind the frame. Brown eyes widened in surprise. _I remember Klavier mentioning a lost love, but... He didn't ever tell me about _this.

In Apollo's hands sat a picture. It wasn't just _any_picture, though. It was a picture of Daryan and Klavier kissing, the blond's face enveloped by an irritated expression as he held his hand out to try and block the shot. Despite the location of Klavier's attention, the prosecutor was being pressed up against his best friend's body.

_If I turn this over, there'll be a note written by Daryan telling him about how he remembers this moment, right? It fits the cliche well enough._

He hesitated for a moment, not exactly sure if he wanted to find out or not, but he figured that it would bother him for the rest of the day if he didn't look. The brunet flipped the picture over, holding it by the edges so he wouldn't get his fingerprints on the actual photo. Biting his bottom lip, Apollo sighted a small paragraph written in a messy scrawl, slanted and barely legible to his eyes. It read, _Hey, diva. Just a reminder that even when you're being a prissy ass about things, I'm still thinking of you (And that ass). And that Duff can take a quick picture pretty damn well. Love, Daryan. PS - Could you bring my pick back to the next practice? I think it fell out of my pocket last time I was at your place, no thanks to you._

The defense attorney stared at the photo for a moment longer before deciding that he would need to replace the item. _This is definitely _not_ the best way to find out about this._

He hurried back to the wall. Just as he was about to slip the picture behind the frame, he heard Klavier call out his name. The brunet froze in place, his torso bent towards the wall. The sound of the older man's footsteps in the quiet hall grew louder and louder to his ears as Klavier approached.

"What is that in your hand, Forehead?" the blond asked, leaning over his shoulder to get a better look.

_No point hiding it now_, the defense attorney thought with a defeated sigh. Apollo turned around, not really noticing how close the two were, and held up the photo for the prosecutor to see. "A photo I found behind the picture frame behind us."

Apollo watched as blue eyes widened, watched as a tanned hand snatched the picture from his grasp. He would have shifted his weight to the wall if it wasn't for the pictures and such behind him, just to relieve himself of the stress. _I wonder where he's gonna go with this... I mean, he should have told me earlier! Why didn't he tell me earlier? ...Didn't he trust me? H-He trusts me with everything else... Why not this? This is important to him, from the looks of it. I-I thought that I... I thought that I was his shoulder to cry on...? It definitely would have made things a lot easier if I knew... about... this._

"Forehead..." Klavier started. "I... I don't know what to say."

"Well, that would explain why I had to find out like this," Apollo snapped.

"I-I'm sorry, Apollo." Hearing his first name almost calmed the defense attorney down, but his anger flared when no other words followed the apology.

"I thought that you trusted me, Klavier. Why didn't you tell me before?"

"W-Well, I just thought that maybe..." Apollo watched as the prosecutor's mouth opened and closed as he fought for words.

"That maybe what, Klavier? That I would... That I would discriminate you for... For having a relationship with your old band member?" Apollo's eyebrows were drawn together in a deep frown. The brunet wasn't sure what he was feeling. Betrayal? Disappointment? He just... _I just wish that he told me earlier._

"I... I don't know..." Klavier murmured in response, his eyes lowering to the floor in shame. "I... I guess that you could say that, ja..."

The defense attorney bit his lip when he saw the blond head lower, but he continued on, "I can't believe that you would just assume that, Klavier! I've taken the rest of your secrets in stride: the fact that you took up law to impress your brother, the fact that you also did music along with it because it was the only way you thought you could express your feelings, the fact that you used to do "fanservice" with your band members for cash in tight situations... the list goes on, Klavier. But _this_, t-this is certainly not on mine." Apollo took in a shaky breath. "Yesterday... Yesterday would have been a lot easier if you had just told me so then I could have... could have taken everything in a lot better."

Klavier's head still hung, the strands of his hair swaying as he shook the tiniest little bit. The brunet heard a thick swallow before words began flowing out of Klavier's mouth, "I am so sorry, Apollo. I didn't know. I didn't know you really... Thought of it that way."

"After all this time?" Apollo's tone was stricken with disbelief. He urged to turn around and walk away, and was mildly surprised that he didn't. He almost considered the idea, but was cut off as Klavier's calloused hands gripped his shoulders.

"Apollo, please, just... Just listen to me," he pleaded, his eyes shining with unshed tears. The defense attorney knew he was a diva, but seriously...? "I have my reasons for keeping this a secret..."

"Oh really." Sarcasm had always been the brunet's defense mechanism, but after certain events, he wasn't exactly pleased that he'd have to use it.

The blond nodded feebly.

"All right then. Shoot."

* * *

A/N: Ugh, I feel bad for not updating for so long. Most of this chapter had been completed only a few weeks after the last update, but then I had school, then I moved, and my laptop died, and just... Ugh. Sorry for the wait. I hope this update makes up for it!  
Song title from Guns'N'Roses song Anything Goes. Not mine, just so ya know.  
On another note, I was gonna have Klavier's explanation in this chapter, but I decided it was long enough so I'm gonna stop here. I just hope the ending doesn't  
sound too abrupt. Ehehe... Until next time!


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